Stake Californian Glory well to ensure it retains its beauty

Today I enjoy it in the more prosaic setting of my partner’s postage stamp front garden and an especially fine specimen against the wall of a Wootton High Street house.

My partner's mum has remembered its Latin moniker ever since she obtained it and it graced her garden in East Cowes before it was transplanted to Newport.

It is only small but the mass of golden blooms are much admired by neighbours.

Californian Glory in bloom.

To me it is known as Fremontia; to those with better memories and diction it is Fremontodendron Californicum.

It flourishes here on our largely mild Isle of Wight in sunny, sheltered, well-drained spots. It likes warm walls.

In Californian wilds it grows as a freestanding large bush.

Here in the UK it is commonly trained and tied to a trellis or frame against a wall.

If grown as a freestanding plant at the back of the border or in a container it needs staking to avoid root rock.

Staking any plant in a container can be problematic but a method I have used is foolproof and sturdy.

A single stake will often rock as much as the plant itself and more than one detracts from the shrub.

If a wire is run under the rim and the stake is wired to that and tensioned with another length of wire it can be made super-supportive.

The Fremontodendron especially appreciated the attention because the prevailing wind had made it lean untidily.

Californian Glory is especially valuable in the garden because its largish yellow flowers made up of five bracts flowers appear throughout summer and well into autumn.

This shrub prefers poor acid or alkaline soil and must have its roots baked in the sun which makes it ideal for container culture.

Waterlogging or damp soil will cause the plant to suddenly collapse — so don’t over-water.

Fremontodendron have very hairy leaves, especially on the new growth, and these can cause skin irritation if you do not wear gloves when pruning.

Richard uses wire under the rim to ensure the stake doesn't move.

Pruning is not essential but, if you are growing your plant against a wall, trimming it back in early autumn will encourage it to keep its shape and, more importantly, produce fresh spring growth which will flower more profusely.

Cuttings from new growth need to be taken in early summer, dusted with rooting powder and the pot covered with a plastic bag.

Placing them on an electric propagator to provide bottom heat gives the best chance of them ‘taking’.

It is a fairly short-lived plant, so don’t expect it to survive for more than 15 years.

It is a gardening illustration of the saying that the brightest of stars burn out the quickest.

RICHARD'S TOP TIPS:

• Rake lime into acid soil to 'sweeten' it. If soil is too acid, plants' ability to take up nutrients and water can be hindered. Highly acidic soil, like that which has been under conifers, prevents the development of micro-organisms, which are essential to tilth health. Buy onion sets and asparagus crowns ready for planting in the spring.
• There is still time to start chitting early potatoes. Stand them on end in a module tray or egg box and place them in a bright, cool, frost-free place. You will find one end has more potential sprouts than the other.
• Mulch perennial vegetables such as asparagus and artichokes with well-rotted manure of garden compost.
• Build raised beds now, before the growing season gets underway. Raised beds allow an earlier start in the garden. The soil warms up faster and raised beds drain much better too; important on the Isle of Wight where there is a lot of clay.

Have you got a question, or gardening-related piece of news for Richard? You can email him on richryde@tiscali.co.uk